Princeton Review Names Best Value Colleges In America

NEW YORK, NY — The Princeton Review has released its annual edition of best value colleges that provide an “exceptional” return on investment, and California seems like the place to be. The annual book, released Tuesday, has seven ranking lists that each focus on different aspects of financial aid and career prep. It’s meant to help individuals who want affordable colleges that are academically outstanding and lead to rewarding careers.

The overall list of 200 schools is not ranked hierarchically, though there is a ranking of the top 50. On the latter list, California Institute of Technology claimed the No. 1 spot, followed by Stanford University and Princeton University. Here are the top 10 best value colleges:

1. California Institute of Technology — Pasadena, CA
2. Stanford University — Stanford, CA
3. Princeton University — Princeton, NJ
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Cambridge, MA
5. Williams College — Williamstown, MA
6. Harvey Mudd College — Claremont, CA
7. Yale University — New Haven, CT
8. Harvard College — Cambridge, MA
9. The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art — New York, NY
10. University of Virginia — Charlottesville, VA

The Princeton Review, an education services company, selected the 200 schools based on data from surveys of administrators at more than 650 colleges in 2017-18. The schools were asked about topics including academics, cost, financial aid, career services, graduation rates, student debt and alumni support.

Student and alumni answers about starting and mid-career salaries, as well as job satisfaction, also factored into the list.

Lead author Robert Franek said in a release that just 7 percent of the country's four-year colleges made it into the book.

"We salute them for their stellar academics and generous aid awards to students based on need and/or merit," he said. "They also provide their undergrads with career services from day one plus strong networks of alumni connections."

Other highlights:

Best financial aid: Bowdoin College — Maine

Best career placement: Harvey Mudd College — California

Best alumni network: Pennsylvania State University — Pennsylvania

Best schools for internships: Bentley University — Massachusetts

Best schools for making an impact: Wesleyan University — Connecticut

Best value colleges for students with no demonstrated need: Georgia Institute of Technology — Georgia

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